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Done Finally Saw "Tokyo Gore Police"!!!

Last night, I had hung out with my favorite special FX team – Jon & Jolene, and with Joy, and Jessica “Betti” Vaughn to finally watch Yoshihiro Nishimura’s Tokyo Gore Police at the Roxie in San Francisco. After having watched the now infamous 5-minute TGP trailer, I’ve been patiently waiting too long for a showing in the Bay Area. The film has been traveling the film festivals in a limited release and was about to go hari-kari (although the film advises against such acts of self-mutilation) if I didn’t get a chance to see it soon. And the fact that it’s not coming out until early next year on DVD makes me wonder why I’m still living in this year? But that wonder was relieved when I found out it was showing as part of the Midnight Circus festival run presented by SF Indie.

From the folks who brought you “Meatball Machine” and “Machine Girl”, Tokyo Gore Police is the story of Ruka played by Eihi Shiina, famed for Takashi Miike’s Audition, who is part of a privatized police force struggling against the memories of the assassination of her father. Besides the plot, it’s a film that has you guessing whaddaphuck was going through the creative team’s head when you see inventive stuff like a limbless body walking on blades, a woman with the mouth of a crocodile as her lower torso, and enough splatter mayhem that has you bathing in blood scene-after-scene. The film’s structure is reminiscent of the splatterific social commentary of Robocop, utilizing inserts of ads mocking the selling of violence in the media and society. And the original theme score played in different versions repeatedly throughout the film adds to it a modern music video ambience. It’s entertaining throughout, if you can stand the gore.

Jon had asked me during dinner before watching the film,”So, ray, how many times do you have to explain to people that you know these films are not real?” Well, I explain it like this – I am an anti-superstitious person. I don’t believe in ghosts, psychics, horoscope signs, or that monsters/Santa Clauses live in my closet judging if I’ve been naughty or nice. I’ve known people who after watching movies like Sixth Sense or The Ring have sleepless nights because they believe in the reality of the plot. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I can’t sleep if I watch these movies too. But, I’m aware it’s because of a psychological nerve that creates “shapes in the dark” that is part of a survival instinct when dealing with fear of the unknown. I am also aware that it’s the creative filmmaking team that make this shit up to fuck with those nerves. So, if you’re out watching the next Hostel or Saw flick, and I’m in the seat next to you laughing my ass off, it’s because I’m amused at what the writers/producers came up with to create the fictional work.

If you still haven’t seen the almost 5-minutes of vile, violent fun, you can find it at the following link (warning – make sure you’re not eating). Now this is a frakken trailer!

Comments

Hey Ray, sorry I couldn’t make it but if I was there, I would be laughing with you (I’m the same as you “I’m in the seat next to you laughing my ass off, it’s because I’m amused at what the writers/producers came up with to create the fictional work).